


A Chink in Her Armor

by jadenanne7



Category: The Blacklist (TV)
Genre: Adoption, Children, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-23
Updated: 2014-06-23
Packaged: 2018-02-05 22:27:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1834429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jadenanne7/pseuds/jadenanne7
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Red considers Elizabeth's impending adoption.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Chink in Her Armor

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little short-short for you all!!  
> I own nothing!!!

Babies changed things. Raymond Reddington knew that firsthand. He and Rebecca had been on the verge of divorce when she announced that she was 6 weeks pregnant and wanted to give their marriage another try. Until then he hadn't been aware that 'baby' was the magic word in married life. For his daughter he would have gladly stayed with a woman he no longer loved for the rest of his life. And now Lizzie was going to run headfirst into the same hopeless situation.

For a long while Lizzie did not mention the possibility of adopting a child, and Red had hoped that that prospect had been pushed to the backburner. He had really thought that her tumultuous childhood would make her leery of raising babies of her own, and while she was with Tom, Red considered that a good thing. He had no idea what Tom was planning for Lizzie, but a child certainly did not need to be added to that equation. Whatever danger she was in, a child would just magnify that danger. A child would be a chink her armor, and she needed that armor more than ever.

Red's own excitement at his daughter's birth was beyond anything he could ever imagine. She was tiny and beautiful and perfect and it was love at first sight. It was scary how much he could love someone he just met, and as she grew, his love for her grew too. And when she was ripped away from him, never to be seen or heard from again, the pain he felt was unbearable. Years passed and the pain never dissipated. In fact, it just seemed to get worse. He had finally resigned himself to the fact that it would never get better, and he would never find any semblance of peace until he found out what happened to her. He couldn't bear for Elizabeth to have to suffer that kind of pain. If anything were to happen to this baby because of Tom… Lizzie would crumble.

Red was convinced that if she took a long, hard look at her marriage, she would realize that she and her husband were long over. There was no love there. Not really. If she could only see the way she talked about Tom… it was so different from the way she talked about him when Red first met her. The passion and conviction in her eyes was gone. Now it was more desperation than anything else. She wanted to prove to everyone, especially Red, that her marriage was strong, and could overcome every obstacle. And now she had committed to a child with Tom.

Red's last-ditch effort to talk some sense into Lizzie had not gone over well. She did not like being told what to do and who to trust, and while he admired her strength, he cursed her stubbornness. It would cost her in the end, and Red did not want to even think about what the cost might be. He returned home that night with a heavy mind. He did not like to fail, and he had failed miserably in stopping Lizzie from making the worst mistake of her life. In the end, he had no choice but to sit back and watch the travesty unfold, and be there to help pick up the pieces when her world shattered. If she would even speak to him again. Needless to say, he was surprised when his phone rang and Lizzie's name popped up on the screen.

"Lizzie?"

"Red…"

She had been crying. That was never good.

"Lizzie… tell me what's wrong."

"Red I… Things aren't right. They haven't been right for a while. I told Tom that I couldn't do it. I can't adopt a baby with him."

Thank God.

"I know you don't believe this, but I am sorry, Lizzie. I know how much you wanted this."

"Of course you know. You know everything."

"I'll have to get you to say that again at a less somber time."

Elizabeth giggled slightly and Red's heart swelled. Perhaps this night was salvageable after all.


End file.
